Seeds consumed by waterfowl in winter: a review of methods and a new web-based photographic atlas for seed identification

Abstract

International audienceDiet quantification has long been and still is one of the first steps undertaken when studying the basic ecology of a species. We conducted a literature review of the techniques used to study and analyse diet among waterfowl. Even though the identification of food items is the most challenging task performed when studying granivorous waterfowl diet, there is a general lack of reference collections to support the taxonomic determination of food resources. We present here a collection of indexed digital pictures of seeds from the reference collections of several French programs of research into waterfowl diet. Photographs are ranked by seed size or by taxonomic key to ease seed identification. This collection is freely accessible at the website http://www.cebc.cnrs.fr/atlasofseeds.html, and it can help wildlife researchers studying the diets of granivorous species to determine food items. A complete bibliography is also provided, including recent papers in archeobotany and useful websites

Molecular approach to describing a seed‐based food web: the post‐dispersal granivore community of an invasive plant

“…An exception is in examining the diets of birds (Legagneux et al. ) and seed caches of rodents (Li and Zhang ), where scat analysis, forced regurgitation, microscopic gut analysis, and marking the seeds with a fluorescent or radioactive dust can establish trophic links to seeds with limited disruption of the normal feeding behavior of the granivore. Still, molecular gut analysis (searching for nucleic acids or proteins; the predominant methods used in insect predation studies) remains relatively undeveloped with respect to granivory.…”

Epiphytes and nutrient contents influence Sarpa salpa herbivory on Caulerpa spp vs. seagrass species in Mediterranean meadows

“…Given that several factors could be involved in the complex seagrass-herbivore 114 interactions, studies require combined experimental approaches and dietary analyses 115 integrating temporal variability in resource acquisition. Among methods used to quantify 116 dietary contributions, stomach content analysis is the most accurate, although it applies to 117 very short time periods and requires extensive sampling (Legagneux et al 2007 based on the premise that consumers' tissues will resemble the long-term isotopic 121 composition of the diet (Fry & Sherr 1984, Minagawa & Wada 1984. 122…”

The Food Preference Paradigm: A Review of Autumn–Winter Food Use by North American Dabbling Ducks (1900–2009)

“…Food-use studies are useful in understanding basic ecology of animals and essential in determining food habits, feeding ecology, and energy budgets of waterfowl (Bartonek and Hickey 1969;Cornelius 1977;Baldassarre and Bolen 2006;Legagneux et al 2007). Further, effective management of waterfowl habitat depends on reliable information on food use and selection (Reinecke et al 1989;Havera 1999;Bolen 2000).…”